Exercising apparatus



Oct. 14, 1952 MANNERS EXERCISING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 26, 1950 INVENTOR. FRANK MANN-:Rs @t ,AfmH/VEY Patented Cet. 14, 1952 UNITED STAT-Es PATENT foreros EXERCISING APPARATUS Frank Manners, New York, N. Y.

ApplicationJanuaryZ, 1950,'Serial No. 140,567

Hl'Glaim. .1 "This invention relates to new land useful/improvements in -exercising apparatus for calisthenic-and like purposes, and,-.more particularly, the aim is to provide a novel and valuable such apparatus comprising a skeletal garment 'to ybe `of Aank-le 1stalls,-a pair of special-wstirru-ps each i .below one of said. stalls,r and a.pair.of endless elongate elastic'ally vstretchabl'e structures, `these last for conveniencehereinbelow termed the cords said cords each passing through and slid- Aably engagingbne of .said shoulder l'structures in'asmannercsuch that one-'depending length of each of said `cords extends inan up and down 'directionat the front of the bodyland such that 4anotherdepending length of each of said cords similarly fextends'atthelback of the body; and the arrangement further being .such that one of lsaid cords passes lthrough and slidably en- Jgages `one ofr saidstalls at opposite sides k-of th latterandalso passes through the .stirrup below .that stall, and the other lof said-cordspasses Vthroughr and slidably engages the` other of said stalls at opposite sides `of ythe v.latter and valso vpasses throughthestrrup below that stall.

Anotherfeature ofthe invention lis the inclusion, iin the combination .just above summarized,'of :a breast crossing structure, this slidably engaging the two cords, and a backcrossing structure, this :also slidably engaging the two cords. Asis to -be-noted from the way these two last referred tostructures are characterized, neither is a body girthing strap.

A further feature of the invention is the nature. of said stirrups, and their yoperative .relationship` to the. anklestalls thereabove, in combination with thecoupling of each ankle stall andthe stirrup'therebelow by way of said cords as al-ready mentioned.

A furt-her-feature'of` the invention is` the provision cii said cords as endless structures as aforesaid,as` byknotting together the two ends of 'an `elongate -elastically stretchable member; andas in-this lregard the invention is preferably car- Tied out,each-of said cords is comprised of two ofsaid members-with -saicil two 'members at one of 'theends ofeach knotted together and -with :said .two .members at .their :other ends knotted together.

Still a further 'feature of the invention sisthat,

:with two of suchknotsat the frontiof .theharness .and awith the yother-two thereof yat theaback-of the harness, the former `knots are both iat :and

trapped in Asaid (breast .crossing structure :and

'the latter Aknots lare 'both at and trapped infsaid back crossing structure.

For further comprehension `of theyinventiom and` of the objects and advantages thereof, Vreference will .be had :to .the `following*description and accompanying xdrawings, and ,to .the :fa-ppended claimsin which lthe vvarious'fnovelzfeatures of the inventionaremore particularly Iset forth.

AIn v.the.-.a'ccompanying drawings forming aimaterial part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a Yfrontalpperspective viewofaarnow favored embodiment of the invention, e-spread ygenerally as it would ,be on the ,body of fa-nf ex- ;erciser, and with the two cords in'unstretched `and somewhat slack condition.

`Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontalysection, taken .substantially on the line v2-2A of Fig. ,1.

Fig. v5 is an .enlarged vertical fsectiontaken on the line 5-5 ofzFig. 1 and throughrzone of the two like ankle stalls and ,the ,associatedcone Aof the `two like stirrups.

Fig. 6.shows the .parts seen in Fig.,.'5,fbuta;with the ankle lstall now spread ilat, and'lookingat the .outside thereof.

Fig. '7 is a view like Fig. l, but. showinglthe harness on a mans body, with the ilatterzquietly standing erect.

Referring now to the drawingsin detail, .the two like shoulder structures, eachasfa whole-designated I0, are of lightfweig-ht construction` and Inade'so as to be fairly open to ,circulation of air therethrough and so -as not to vbe constrictive .or uncomfortable. .Each structure l0 iscomprised of a bottom canvas strip lllooped back onitself to provide a two-ply base; this base is topped by two shorter `outer canvas strips l2, and 'a middle longer canvas strip I4. 'To have the central portion of the length of the-strip l4-upstand as a handle I5, and to bulge ther strips I2-'between their ends slightly upwardfthis last for a purpose to be mentioned in a moment,-a plurality of rivets I6, for-assembling theV elements Il,

3 I2 and I4 to provide the structure I0, are applied as shown.

Referring to the two cords aforesaid, each of these is an elongate elastically stretchable structure passing through and slidably engaging the shoulder structures I9. One of said cords comprises two end to end joined elongate elastically stretchable members El and I9 and the other of said cords comprises two end to end joined similar members I8 and 20. As will be noted, referring now to the just above mentioned upward bulges established at the strips I2, the member Il passes through one structure II! at said bulges thereof and the member I8 passes through the other structure I at said bulges thereof.

Thus at the front of the harness the member Il has a depending length Ila, and the member IS has a depending length |83; while at the back of the harness the member Il has a depending length Hb, and the member I8 has a depending length Ib. Thus, also, at the front of the harness, the member I9, complementary to the member I 7, has an upcoming length |93, and the member 29, complementary to the member I8, has an upcoming length a; while at the back of the harness, the member I9 has an upcoming length ISb, and the member 2|] has an upcoming length 2Gb.

The breast crossing structure, this as a whole designated 2 I, is of quasi-basket-weave construction, for full ventilation and so as not in any way to be constrictive or become uncomfortable from heavy absorption of perspiration.

The back crossing structure, which as a whole is designated 22, is also of quasi-basket-weave construction, and for the reasons just mentioned.

Said structure 2| is comprised of an upper canvas loop 23, a lower canvas loop 24, and a pair of vertically extending cross loops portions of the loops 25 being interwoven or interlaced relative to portions of the loops 23 and 24, and the parts being locked together in this arrangement by a plurality of rivets 2G as illustrated. It will be noted that the rivets 26 are so placed that eye-like openings or localized tunnels are set up in the loops 23 and 24 at opposite sides of the structure 2|, and that between each pair of such tunnels at each side of said structure there is established a pocket-like space. Said tunnels of the loop 23 are for slidably receiving the depending lengths I'Ia and i8ad of the members Il' and i8 of one of the two cords aforesaid; the said tunnels of the loop 24 are for slidably receiving the upcoming lengths I9a and 299 of the members I9 and 29 of the other of said two cords; and said pocket-like spaces are for having trapped therein the knots tied at the meeting ends of the elements Ila and I 9a and at the meeting ends of the elements I3EL and 29a.

The back crossing structure 22, like the structure 2 I, is comprised of canvas loops 2l, 28 and 29, corresponding, respectively, to the loops 23, 24 and 25; and, with the rivets 30 corresponding to the rivets 26, four eye-like openings or localized tunnels and two pocket-like spaces are present in said structure 22 as in the structure 2|. Said tunnels of the loop 21 are for slidably receiving the depending lengths ITb and I8b of the members l'.' and IB; the said tunnels of the loop 28 are for slidably receiving the upcoming lengths I9b and 231 of the members I9 and 20; and said pocket-like spaces are for having trapped therein the knots tied at the meeting ends of the 4 elements |71 and I9b and at the meeting ends of the elements I8b and 29h.

The above referred to knots thus trapped in the structure 2| are designated 3| and 32, while the knots thus trapped in the structure 22 are designated 33 and 34.

Each of the two like ankle stalls is as a whole marked 35. Each such stall is of the wraparound type and fully openable as shown in Fig. 6.

Below each stall 35 is one of two like stirrups 33; each of those being softly compressible, as by being made of felt, foam rubber or the like, and in the shape of a cylinder having a central bore-like opening extending longitudinally and from end to end thereof.

Each stall 35 incorporates a main strap 3l having extended therefrom a pair of tongues 38 each carrying a line of spaced apertures for selective use relative to a buckle 4|). Each buckle is carried by a small strap 39 secured to the outer side of the main strap 3l' by a rivet 4I. Attached to the main strap 31, adjacent to the attached ends of the small straps 39, there are straps 39a. The straps 39' are secured in position by rivets 4 I a which are applied so that there is a slight outward bulge of the straps 39a away from the outer side of the main strap 37.

In regard to one of the ankle stalls 35, such bulgings provide slideways for the upcoming length I9b of the cord member I9, and in regard to the other of said stalls, such bulgings provide slideways for the upcoming length 2Qa of the cord member 20.

Also carried by each stall 35 are two auxiliary small straps 42; these secured in place as shown, and as by way of rivets 43, also to the outside of the main strap 31. These straps 4-2, it will be noted, are so placed that when the ankle stall is closed and locked closed by the buckle means after being wrapped around an ankle, said straps 42 are at the outer side of the ankle and so much removed from the buckles 40 that these are at the inner side of the ankle. The rivets 43 are so applied to the said small straps 42 that there is a slight outward bulge of each strap 42.

In regard to one of the ankle stalls 35, the two last referred to bulgings provide slideways for the depending length |9a of the cord member I9, and in regard to the other of said stalls, such bulgings provide slideways for the depending length 20h of the cord member 20.

As for the substantially bight-like bottom portions of the cord elements I9 and 20, one of these slidably passes through one of the stirrups 36, and the other similarly passes through the other stirrup.

With the new appliance donned as in Figs. '7, and with the cords |1|9 and |8-20 of lengths such that each is then either unstretched or at a selected degree of stretch, any one of agreat number of highly beneficial exercises may be performed. With the exerciser standing, or lying prone or supine or at either side, or otherwise basically postured, as, for instance, by being seated on a chair or on the door, the torso may be swung backward and forward and from side to side, and/ or one or both legs may be alternately drawn up and then extended. During these and other exercises, preferably the structure 2| will be placed to extend across the chest and the structure 22 will be placed to extend across the small of the back. Temporarily to increase the initial stretch of the cords, the said structure 22 ing within the scope of the invention as dened in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

An exercise appliance having a pair of elastic loops each for extension vertically along the front and back of the human body with diametrically opposite portions of the loop passing over one shoulder and beneath one foot; a pad for each shoulder and including a bulged strap portion slidably receiving one end of said loop,

compressible tubular stirrups through which the 20 6 other end of said loop slidably passes, ankle stalls for each foot, said ankle stalls including bulged straps to slidably receive a loop, said ankle stalls including means for adjustably securing said ankle stalls to the users ankles, and body bracing web means slidable on said loops securing said loops both on the front and back of the users body.

FRANK MANNERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 807,908 Bradstreet Dec. 19, 1905 1,663,641 I Smallwood Mar. 27, 1928 2,097,376 Marshman Oct. 26, 1937 

